The leadership tussle over the chairmanship of the Panguna Special Mine Lease Osikaiyang Landowners Association (SMLOLA) is now one step towards being resolved after a unification ceremony was held between the two key figures in this dispute, Lawrence Daveona and Philip Miriori.
The significant ceremony was held at Guava village, on the outskirts of the defunct Panguna Mine on Friday and saw Messrs Daveona and Miriori embrace each other in the spirit of unification with both leaders pledging to put aside their differences and work together for the good of the people of Panguna and Bougainville.
The SMLOLA chairmanship issue is currently being mediated by Justice Ambeng Kandakasi with the third mediation set to commence this week and the unification of the two leaders is now seen as the way forward towards resolving the chairmanship issue.
Samson Kaissy, chairman of the mediation team that organised the Panguna unification ceremony, said the unification was conducted to enable unity between the two leaders and also to ensure that the people had “one voice” to act on their behalf.
Mr Kaissy revealed that the unification also fulfilled a directive issued by Justice Kandakasi for both leaders to unite before the commencement of the third mediation to be held at Dapera Village.
“Lots of questions have been raised about why the Panguna people are talking about mining when our leaders are not organized,”
“The people of Bougainville are now looking at the Panguna landowners to sort out its leadership issues especially with the issues of re-opening the mine now at hand and we therefore have to have one voice to fight for us and ensure any dealings with investors should be in the best interests of the people of Panguna and Bougainville as a whole,” he added.
Mr Kaissy clarified that the unification ceremony was only the beginning of the process of eventual full reconciliation between Daveona and Miriori.
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